No matter what happened the day before, you need to roll into work at 8:00 am with a smile on your face and accomplish the day. If I didn’t have a strong character or resilience, I would have broken down months ago …

We grossed $250,000 and netted $221,000. The committee thought it was great. I thought it was great, too, but I was disappointed that we couldn’t donate more for research …

In the end, we achieved both goals. The gala raised $1.2 million, and we had 80% of the funds committed before the event. And, because it costs less to produce a virtual event, we netted $100,000 more than we did last year …

I realized that challenging times call for strong leadership so I’m focusing on what it takes to be a good leader. Before COVID, Heart Zones had a team leadership model that worked well because everyone was in charge of their area of responsibility. Six months later, that model led to confusion and low morale …

We haven’t felt the full effect of COVID-19 yet. I think it’s going to be really bad. A lot of art museums are not going to survive. I think the Crocker will, but no one knows for the long term …

I’ve learned how resilient my team is and how much the people who work with me love our company. They’re willing to sacrifice and do what it takes. I’ve learned a lot about the people in my industry and how much collective good we can do …

What COVID gave us was the gift of time to stop and reflect on what we’ve been doing and what we need to do going forward …

We built this business to help the people who are among the most isolated in our culture – those facing Alzheimer’s. Then COVID hit, and we’re all isolated now. Everyone needs what we’re doing. It’s not a hard sell because it makes a difference and it works …

It’s about staying nimble, innovating and trying different things. Not sticking to the older version. Not getting entrenched. Not saying “Ink will never work online” because we have to be in the same room with each other …

People told me what they loved best was the feeling they had gotten away from everything for a little while. You cannot sit in the house all day and not have something to look forward to. We’re not built like that. I gave people a little break, something to experience during this difficult times …

What I’m most excited about is that instead of charging $10 a child, we can charge 25 cents per child and offer thousands of kids a deep dive into the arts. They can learn about why the arts have value and feel less like outsiders when they’re able to return to the theater and see a live show …

You can never be totally prepared for what comes your way. The ability to change and pivot from one idea to another may not be comfortable, but it is necessary now. Be resilient …

I learned never to doubt the power of a community of people who care deeply about something. The way they’ll show up for an organization they believe in, for something bigger than themselves when the times are tough and things get difficult …

I’ve learned that what I’m built for is this very grassroots work. I’m meant to serve the community. My best days are the days when I get to collaborate with fellow nonprofit and community leaders to design creative solutions that have a larger impact in the world …